Newell expects Stevens inquiry to reveal bungs

Luton's manager Mike Newell is scheduled to appear on Panorama next Monday to reiterate his remarks about agents offering bungs. The BBC programme, which has yet to have its content cleared by lawyers, comes a fortnight before the Lord Stevens inquiry, commissioned by the Premier League, reports on its findings - looking into 50 transfers in the two years from January 2004 - to a meeting of Premiership chairmen on October 2.

"If there was nothing to be found Lord Stevens would have said so by now and called it to a halt. I would be amazed if they don't find anything. Amazed," Newell said. "It's more widespread than people think. People were very sceptical when I said it last year but they have got to get their heads out of the sand."

Newell, 41 and a former Luton and Blackburn striker, made his original claim in January. "This subject is something I feel passionately about and I wish Lord Stevens was able to go back further than two years, and also into the rest of the Football League, because I'm sure there is plenty to find," he said on Saturday.

Meanwhile one of England's leading football agents has urged the Football Association to "police" his profession effectively and "flush out" any corruption. Phil Smith, chief operating officer of the First Artist agency, said: "It is a perennial problem in our industry and it just needs to be flushed out. Ever since I have been in the industry the spectre of it has loomed over everyone's head.

"As well as we get on with the FA, the FA has never policed the agency situation to any satisfaction for as long as they have had it under their jurisdiction and it really does have to be dealt with." Smith said he had also sought to work more closely with the Professional Footballers' Association before the PFA launched its own player management agency two years ago.

The Panorama programme centres on filmed converations with agents who are meeting undercover journalists posing as representatives of a new agency called Dynamic Soccer, which supposedly had US funding. One of the meetings filmed is with the agent Peter Harrison, who represents Lucas Neill among others. He subsequently sets up a meeting with Harry Redknapp and Kevin Bond. All the BBC targets deny any wrongdoing.